The Austrian bishops will meet in Vienna from 6 to 8 November, under the presidency of Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, for their autumn assembly. According to the press agency of the Austrian Church, Kathpress, the main themes on the agenda are the “year of vocations” proclaimed for 2002, the major ecclesiastical “mitteleuropa” gathering planned for 2003 and the activities following up the recent work of the Synod in Rome, in which the bishop of Innsbruck, Alois Kothgasser, took part, as representative of the Austrian Episcopal Conference. The work of the assembly will already begin on 5 November, with a study day in which the bishops will discuss the current problems of the agricultural sector and the rural environment in Austria, with the help of experts from the Ministry for Agriculture and representatives of the competent EU directorate. A meeting with Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolarini, will take place on Tuesday, 6 November, and on the same day, at 6.00 pm, a mass will be celebrated in St. Stephen’s cathedral. On the closing of the assembly, on Friday 9 November, Cardinal Schoenborn will brief journalists on the results of its work at a press conference in Vienna.
